Empty building is part of the Streetwall, a strip of historic buildings on the western border of Grant Park

November 03, 2009|By Serena Maria Daniels, Tribune reporter

If South Michigan Avenue's so-called Streetwall, a strip of historic buildings on the western border of Grant Park, must be weaker, at least maintain its impressive facade, a preservationist and residents say.

The city and the owner of a seven-story property at 830 S. Michigan, known to preservationists as a historical gem for its impressive attention to detail on one of the oldest YWCA buildings in the country, are trying to figure out how to best deal with the long-deteriorating building.

The owner, Michigan 830 LLC, has filed an application to tear down the structure, a move that some in the area say is a shame given the rich history of the building. Last week, nearby residents, along with staff from Ald. Bob Fioretti, 2nd, attended a court hearing in which the city was given a Nov. 12 deadline to come up with a plan for the structure. Exactly what those plans are have yet to be revealed.

The building was designed by John M. Van Osdel II -- nephew of prominent Chicago architect John Mills Van Osdel -- to fit in line with some of the nearby extravagant hotels of the time. Construction of the property was completed in 1895.

Instead of having the look of a typical charitable organization, the YWCA building was lavishly ornamented with brick and terra cotta and used to house working women newly arriving in the city, said Jim Peters, president of the nonprofit advocacy group Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, which placed the structure on its endangered landmarks list last year.

Now, the building is dilapidated, abandoned for at least 20 years after having been a hotel since 1929, Peters said. Although saving the integrity of the entire building seems too costly at this point, Peters and others would like to save the facade, now hidden by scaffolding, to keep with many of the surrounding historic buildings. The strip of buildings is known to some as South Michigan's "Streetwall" and encompasses buildings on Michigan between 11th Street and Randolph Street.

"We'd love to see the building be rehabilitated. But it may be beyond that point of no return," Peters said.

The city's Department of Buildings lists several problems with the structure in a complaint filed last year with Cook County Circuit Court's municipal department, said Jenny Hoyle, a spokeswoman for the city's Law Department. Violations include accumulating debris, holes, breaks, loose or rotting boards in the walls, extensive water damage, collapsed walls and large holes in the ceilings, court records show.

Peters said that if approached, Landmarks Illinois could conduct a study to further examine options.

The building's owner could not be reached for comment Friday.

Andy Pierce, an assistant to Fioretti, said it is too soon to tell what will become of the lot if it is demolished.

Underneath shabby gray-blue paint is gorgeous red brick, parts of which are now exposed to show the facade's original charm. "Young Women's Christian Association" still reads in a faded white outline above the doorway.

Peters said great attention was paid to the design of the facade, including the triangular-shaped bay windows on the upper two floors. They are designed in such a way as to allow a person to look north and south on South Michigan, a detail not often found on buildings, he said.

The design also has a mix of Italianate and Flemish-derived details, and the second floor featured an open-air loggia, where residents could sit in a secured area and enjoy the lake's breezes, Peters said.

"It was very much in the style of a large-scale residential building. The idea was to dress it up, make a very fancy place for what was considered low-cost housing," Peters said.

Harvey Choldin, 70, a retired University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign sociology professor, moved into a neighboring condo in the former Crane Co. Building at 888 S. Michigan in 2002 after the structure went under a desperately needed makeover.

When he was growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, he said, few people dared to live in gritty downtown.

"When I was growing up, I came here for the Field Museum or the aquarium. But it wasn't much of a place to live," Choldin said.

But he was excited to find his condo now, in the middle of downtown's action, where one could easily shop, take in the opera, and where the lake was easily accessible.

Although the residents at 888 S. Michigan cannot see their neighboring building without trying, if one leans over the ledge of the complex's rooftop patio, several holes and crumbled brick can be seen scattered about the roof next door.

The vacant building was a draw for taggers who used the property to deface another building nearby. Last year, Choldin said, vandals broke into the YWCA property and used the access to tag graffiti on the wall of the Johnson Publishing Building on the other side. The damage has since been over.

Choldin accepts that not much may be done to completely restore the YWCA building, but he said completely demolishing it would ruin the balance of the historic neighborhood.

"It would be like someone with a really nice smile with one tooth missing," Choldin said.

Gayle Veltrop, 56, an artist and technical writer who lives on the eighth floor of the Crane Co. Building, said that if used creatively, the old YWCA building could be a prime location for boutiques or restaurants that already dot much of the historic strip.

"If you look, everything else is all rehabbed -- and then you have scaffolding on that building," Veltrop said. "It is a nice neighborhood. ... The more this area is redone, the more the place stands out."